The steering wheel of an automotive vehicle is a member for allowing an operator of the vehicle to steer the vehicle. The operator of the vehicle almost always handles directly the steering wheel during driving the vehicle, and typically develops sensitivity to even minute vibrations excited in the steering wheel. Such vibrations may be caused by brake roughness, tire/wheel imbalance, road input, etc. and are often transmitted to the steering wheel from the wheels of the automotive vehicle.
Since the vibrations excited in the steering wheel greatly impact the riding comfort of the vehicle as felt by the operator, methods and apparatuses for damping these vibrations have been sought. Previous efforts to eliminate steering wheel vibrations have focused on designing and tuning the elastomeric bushings, bearings, and joints used throughout the steering and suspension systems to achieve a desired level of vibration damping. Unfortunately, these efforts have had only limited success, and they often require compromises in other vehicle attributes such as ride, steering feel, rolling comfort, and impact harshness. As such, there is a need in the art for improved vibration damping apparatuses for steering systems.